yourselves into danger?'
'Same reason, I suppose,' said Owen. 'Because people need us, because no one else can do what we do. I still believe in the old virtues of duty and honor, even though they seem to have gone out of fashion in today's new order of deals and compromises.'
Mother Beatrice smiled. 'And that part of you is the part that hears God's voice. You can't ignore it any more than I can.'
'I fight because I'm good at it,' Hazel said stubbornly. 'My life's revolved around violence and killing for as long as I can remember. Everywhere I've been, it was always kill or be killed. Where's God's voice in that?'
'It isn't what you do that matters,' said Mother Beatrice patiently. 'It's why you do it. It is the cause we fight for that defines us. God gave you the warrior's gift, Hazel, but left it up to you what to do with it.'
'I never wanted to be a warrior,' said Owen. 'It was thrust upon me by circumstances.'
'Maybe in the beginning,' said Mother Beatrice. 'Nobody sane wants to be a hero. Few tales of real heroes have happy endings. But you became what you are because of who you are, because you couldn't look aside and do nothing while evil flourished. You are the best kind of warrior, Owen—the man who never wanted to be one. I never wanted to be a Saint. I still wince inside whenever anyone uses the word. Hell, I only joined the Church originally to get out of marrying Valentine Wolfe. But I found my faith, or it found me, and I can no more turn aside from those who need help than I can stop breathing. In the end, honor defines us all. Because without honor, our lives would have no meaning at all.'
Owen listened, and wanted so desperately to believe, but still couldn't be sure.
And then the three of them looked up sharply as all hell broke loose in the jungle around the Mission. Owen and Hazel drew their guns, forced aside their tiredness, and ran for the outer wall. People ran alongside them, rubbing too little sleep from their eyes and shouting questions no one had answers for. Owen and Hazel sprinted up the wooden steps that led to the catwalk inside the top of the outer wall, and looked out across the clearing at the jungle beyond. The light from the Mission didn't penetrate far into the dark, and there was no moon above to light the scene. Hazel called for more light to be brought. Owen listened intently to the commotion raging in the jungle, but couldn't make any sense of it. Were the Hadenmen fighting each other? Soon the catwalk was packed with people, most of them holding up torches or lanterns, and for the first time movements could be seen in the jungle, of dark forces rushing back and forth. And then the first screams came out of the jungle, in the unmistakable buzzing tones of Hadenmen, followed by the familiar deadly sound of energy weapons discharging.
Owen strained his eyes against the dark and the rain. The clearing was utterly deserted. Whatever was happening was limited to the jungle. He could hear screams and cries of anger, and the sound of people running, crashing through the heavy foliage. Dark figures could be seen fighting and struggling. They might have been Hadenmen. But there were other shapes too, dark and indistinct, moving too fast to be defined. And where they went, the screaming rose anew.
Mother Beatrice pushed in beside Owen. 'What is it, sir Deathstalker? What's happening out there?'
'Damned if I know. But at a guess, I'd say someone or something is kicking Hadenmen ass. And doing a damn good job of it.'
'Could they be reinforcements? Marines perhaps?'
'I don't think so,' said Hazel. 'The attackers don't seem to be using guns. And they don't move like anything human. Are there any creatures on this planet that we don't know about, Mother Beatrice?'
'No. Nothing at all.'
'I have never heard a Hadenman scream before,' said Owen. 'What could be so deadly, so terrible, than even the Hadenmen are afraid of them?'
'Well, you could always go out and take a look, but if you do, you're going on your own,' said Hazel firmly. 'I'm not putting one foot outside this wall until there's enough light to see what I'm aiming at.'
'The Hadenmen have disrupters,' said Mother Beatrice. 'It doesn't seem to be doing them any good, does it?'
The tumult in the jungle suddenly broke off, the last few screams choked off. The crashing and the thrashing stopped, and there was no sign of movement anywhere. The night was completely still, and the Mission's defenders stood silently on the catwalk, listening to nothing but the crackling of torches, the endless pattering of rain on the roof, and their own massed breathing. The jungle was dark and calm, holding its secrets within.
'Well,' said Owen finally. 'At a guess, I'd say that whatever it was, it's over now. I think we'd better post double guards for tonight, on three-hour shifts. Everyone else, go get some sleep. Just because a few Hadenmen apparently got their just deserts, it doesn't necessarily mean we won't be facing a whole army of the bastards out there tomorrow.'
'Shouldn't we send someone out to check for bodies?' said a voice farther down the catwalk.
'After you,' said Hazel, and snorted, unimpressed, when there was no response.
'Any bodies can wait till the morning,' said Mother Beatrice. 'Everything can wait till the morning. The Deathstalker's right; post the extra guards, and everyone else get some sleep.'
And since no one ever argued with Saint Bea, the watchers slowly dispersed, going to find what rest they could before morning. Owen and Hazel headed for the nearest steps, and ran into Bonnie Bedlam and Midnight Blue coming the other way.
'A good performance,' said Bonnie. 'I felt like applauding.'
'Don't mind her,' said Midnight. 'She's just being herself. What do you think just hit the Hadenmen?'
'I couldn't make out much,' said Owen. 'But what I did see seemed almost… familiar.'
'Anyone who kills Hadenmen is fine with me,' said Hazel. 'I mean, come on; what could be worse than an army of augmented men?'
'I have a horrible suspicion we're going to find out, come the morning,' said Midnight. 'At least the Hadenmen were a known quantity. We could make plans against them. Now…'
'Right,' said Bonnie. 'The enemy of my enemy isn't always bound to be my friend. Especially if they're the Enemies of Humanity.'
Hazel looked at her sharply. 'Shub? You think there are Shub forces out there?'
'What else could take out a force of Hadenmen so easily? You ask me, that jungle is full of Ghost Warriors and Furies.'
'I want to go home,' said Hazel.
'But what the hell would Shub want here?' said Owen exasperatedly. 'There's nothing here!'
'Except the Red Brain,' said Moon, emerging suddenly from the gloom. 'I can feel its presence more and more strongly all the time.'
'Red…' said Bonnie. 'Could it be some part of the jungle? Some plant that developed intelligence?'
'It's vast,' said Moon. 'Very large and very complex, and utterly alien. What I can detect of its slow thoughts makes no sense at all. All I can be sure of is that it's very dangerous. And it's slowly becoming aware of our presence. If I was a little more certain of my humanity, I think… I'd be scared.'
'But what is it?' said Hazel.
'It's the Red Brain,' said Moon. 'And if it's as powerful and as dangerous as I think it is, then I think Haden or Shub would be right to commit any number of troops here, either to seize it or destroy it.'
'But then… why are they attacking the Mission?' said Owen.
'We're just in the way,' said Moon. 'I don't think Haden or Shub is in the mood to share its prize.'
He turned and walked back into the gloom, and was soon gone. Hazel glared after him. 'I think I preferred him when he was just inhuman. He was much less irritating.'
'He's certainly picked a hell of a time to go mystical on us,' said Owen. 'Maybe we should send him to Saint Bea, and see if she can get some sense out of him.'
'The Red Brain…' said Bonnie. 'Sounds like one of those evil criminal masterminds from the old holo serials when I was just a kid. Maybe we should put out a call to the Grim Gray Avenger to come and save us.'
'Did you have those shows on your world?' said Midnight. 'I was always a big fan of his.'
'Yeah!' said Hazel. 'I had all his tapes, and his special decoder ring, the one you had to send away for…'
Owen left them chattering happily together, and went off to get some sleep before he fell down. Saving his own life had taken a lot out of him. And he had a strong feeling that when morning came, and he finally saw what was waiting outside the Mission, he wasn't going to like it at all.
Dawn came suddenly on Lachrymae Christi, right on schedule. Everyone who could pack themselves onto the
